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At 03:43 PM 11/15/2002 -0900, <font face="arial" size=2>Julie</font>
wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><font face="arial" size=2>Harrison
wrote<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">What we have been freely given must
be freely shared. Of course, that raises the interesting question -- do
we do everything for free? Of course the answer is, No. At least I think
the answer is, No. <br>
</font><br>
<font face="arial" size=2>I think that s a great question, only I would
answer: Of course the answer is, Yes. At least I think the answer
is, Yes. :)<br>
Better, I think, would be to rephrase the question to: Do we do
everything that calls to us unconditionally and without regard to
payment? </font></blockquote><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><font face="arial" size=2>During
that part of my life when I felt called to mediate, I eventually gave up
the practice of requesting money in exchange for my time. What was
important to me then was to help people who were suffering through the
end stages of their marriages and who were grappling with how to
reconstruct a new life for themselves and their children. I didn t
think of myself as offering myself for free, but simply that I was
offering myself. I freely offered my humanity, which had been
freely given to me. I also freely accepted whatever they offered in
return. It was a giving and receiving for all of us. We each
freely chose what we would give, and we each freely accepted what was
given. I felt very comfortable and easy with this
arrangement. And I think the quality of the time I spent with
people improved dramatically. For me, the exchange of money as a
condition for relationship interferes with authentic
relationship.</font></blockquote><br>
good point Julie. And you will notice that i did not specify money as the
only mode of payment. Some exchange of value has always seemed to me to
be useful, even if the value exchanged was a smile, the knowledge that a
needed job was well done, or some added knowledge or experience gained. I
find this particularly important in an Open Space environment where any
gift that I might give necessitates the commitment of the receiver in
order to be fully useful. Value exchanged does not guarantee commitment,
but it seems to help. To the best of my knowledge, I have never refused
service because of lack of money, but I have always expected, and usually
received, value for what I have done. Like you, I have never starved, nor
is there apparently much danger of that. <br><br>
Harrison<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</a><br><br>
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